Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 22 (broom, tiff, loathsome, snakes, hercles, dismal…). Matches are highlighted.
Feared for deserved plagues must still be sad, His breast t'a hell, his thoughts all turned to devils, Through horror of himself must make him mad. No end in sin, crimes are maintained by crimes Who fallen in Ocean touch the bottom once, The path of honour hath but narrow bounds, On which who steps attentive must remain. It's raised
Full speech
What loads thy mind? What? We know that since our sovereign lest to breath, Earth hath been bathed with many a scarlet flood, Perdicca's did procure Meleagers death, And his own soldiers drowned his breath with blood. the Athenians prey, Leonatus did remain, And by Eumenes subtlety dismayed, Craterus and Neoptolemus were slain, Then by his own Eumenes died betrayed. And have the heavens reserved more plagues in store, As if we yet were not enough accursed? Then wound our ears by hearing others wounds, That pity now may tread the steps of hate. Life is the subject of distress and grief That still ministers matters to bemoan; And only but by death can have relief, To live and to be wretched are both but one. Yet foolish worldlings tossde with endless care, Though at too deer a rate would still buy breath; And following after feathers thrown through th'aire, Like life (though wretched) more then a happy death. As from a pest all from unhappy fly, Eclipse of Fortune threatens lose of friends. What cannot time and travel sometime daunt? Durst subjects damn their sovereign, and not herd? So still may clouds obscure the world's bright eye. Oh strange barbarity, most monstrous deed, Could men a woman, subjects kill their Queen? And could her fortune passed no pity breeds? Who ever gave the wound hath not her seen. The ugly Authors of those odious evils, Feared for deserved plagues must still be sad, His breast t'a hell, his thoughts all turned to devils, Through horror of himself must make him mad. No end in sin, crimes are maintained by crimes Who fallen in Ocean touch the bottom once, The path of honour hath but narrow bounds, On which who steps attentive must remain. It's raised so High above the vulgar grounds, That who thence fallen can never rise again. Oh how ambition does abuse the great, That with enough not pleased still strive for more: Lo how our Sovereign seemed to raise his state, Yet made it but to fallen while starved with store. And since his trophies reared in several fields, Both him and his have to confusion brought: Then what is all the good that greatness yields, Which makes it self seem much to be made nought? Thus though the mountains make a mighty show, They are but barren heaps born up aloft, Where plains are pleasant still, though they lie low, And are most fertile too, though troad on oft. Greatness is Like a cloud in airy bounds, Which th'earths base vapours have congealed above: It brawls with Vulcan, thundering forth huge sounds, fear, Yet melts, and falls there whence it first did move.
Plot summary
Plot — The Alexandraean Tragedy
Juno remains angry that a Trojan adjudged Venus the most beautiful goddess. Through the centuries, she has sought to avenge herself by harrying the Trojans’ 1607 descendants, the Romans, most recently by fomenting a civil war. But the victor of that war was Caesar, who traces his descent from Venus; he has conquered much of the world and established his ascendancy in Rome, but Juno now intends to work his overthrow. Caesar explains to Antonius that he wants to be a king not for personal ambition but to comply with a Sibylline prophecy which makes monarchy a precondition for a Roman victory in the east. Antonius warns him that there are Romans who desire his death. Cicero laments the loss of Rome’s liberty, and Decius Brutus agrees that, though Caesar’s past actions have been honourable, he should have demobilized his armies now that there is no further external threat. Brutus and Cassius agree that they will not participate in any ceremony aimed at making Caesar a king. Brutus is Caesar’s friend, but reasons that he must assassinate the tyrant for the public good. His wife Portia wrings the secret of the conspiracy out of him. Brutus and Cassius recruit conspirators, both patriots and men who have a personal grudge against Caesar. However, they exclude Cicero and agree not to kill Antonius. Caesar’s wife Calpurnia tries to persuade him not to go to the Senate on the Ides of March — an astrologer has foretold his death, and she herself has had bad dreams - but Decius Brutus induces him to change his mind. The conspirators assassinate Caesar. Antonius makes a show of friendship with them, but is obviously planning reprisals. A messenger brings Caesar’s wife Calpurnia a full account of the circumstances of the murder.